Article from Golf Digest "What it takes o break 80 or 70"

[easyyy]

says GIR's and putts...

I read this article last week and thought it was great. What do you think? Ever track this stuff?


By Lucius Riccio, Ph.D.
Golf Digest
May 2006

To break 80 is to reach golf's holy grail. Those who've done it can walk you through their first time shot by shot, and those who haven't, well, they'll forever hold out hope. Strangely, with all this fixation on getting it under 80, there's not much information out there on what, mathematically, a player has to do to accomplish it. Is it longer drives or fewer putts, sharper irons or better greenside play?

To answer these and other stats questions, I started a golf research company 25 years ago called The Golf Analyzer, and began collecting data from rounds played by all types of golfers, from 30-handicappers to U.S. Open winners. Now, after analyzing more than 20,000 holes played, I'm going to tell you what it takes to shoot 79.

Of all the statistics in the game, only two really matter when it comes to determining score: greens hit in regulation (example: you hit a par-4 green in two) and putts. Breaking 80 usually goes with reaching certain benchmarks in these areas. To help you get there, Shelby Futch, who heads the Golf Digest Schools, has provided some quick tips (below). My job is to show you the numbers.

Most golfers think putting is the biggest factor in scoring, but greens in regulation (GIRs) are much more important. So important, you almost don't need to look at anything else to predict your score. The most useful score-analysis tool I've developed, called "Riccio's Rule" and first published in Golf Digest in 1987, predicts score based on GIRs: Score = 95 – 2 x GIRs. The chart below, based on this rule, shows how GIRs relate to score:



Here's a quick way to remember the effect of GIRs on your score: "Three greens break 90, eight greens break 80, and 13 greens break 70." That prediction is fairly accurate for any single round, and within one stroke about 90 percent of the time when you take the average of four or more rounds.

So that's our first part: To consistently break 80, you should average eight or more GIRs. Take a few recent scorecards, or record your next few rounds, and average your scores, then average your GIRs. Compare your results to the chart at left. I bet you're right at, or very close to, where the chart says you should be. But if you score better than your GIRs would predict--say, you hit four greens but average 83--you probably have an extraordinary short game. You need to focus on hitting more greens. If you score worse than your GIRs would predict--say, you hit seven greens but average 85--then your putting is weak, or you tend to have blowup holes, which throw off any system for predicting score.

Link to the rest of the article

[crew_138]

I totally agree about the GIR's and putts. If you a half-decent putter and can get it on the green in reg... then you can definitely score low. I have figured this out for myself and go by it, especially when thinking about going for a green it two on a par 5. This is just smart play.

[CRutherford]

I agree, GIR is huge! Why work on putting if you never putt?! :golfer:

[arkstorm]

I find that there is an inverse correlation between GIR and putting. Hitting a lot of greens often means longer putts with increased three putts as opposed to missing greens and having to get up and down. The first time I broke 80 it was a lot of GIR's without a single birdie. Other times its been getting up and down a lot with the occasional birdie here or there.

 

I agree that hitting greens is the most sure-fire way to shoot low scores, but it is not the only way. If you have a great short game around the greens you are just as likely to get it done.

 

Having said that, whether it was hitting greens or making up and downs, the common element to all my rounds in the 70's has been good ball striking from the tee, and approach shots pin high. Although I'm sure that the key for me to break into the next level (dare I dream to break 70) is GIR's with excellent putting.

[dtwainright]

I agree, GIR is huge! Why work on putting if you never putt?! :golfer:

 

Agree 100%...I don't work on my putting too much because I can't seem to get it on the green!

 

I'm not a bad putter, but I'm really working on my mid-iron and wedge shots to at least give me a chance for a put!.....and I'm working on my driver to put it in the fairway (cool)

[abewley]

my two or 3 blow up holes will what gets me every time.. a round of 83 turns to 93 in a heart beat.

[TheBUNKY]

my two or 3 blow up holes will what gets me every time.. a round of 83 turns to 93 in a heart beat.

 

EXACTLY!

 

Not sure if it is a loss of concentration on my part or what, but every round where I think I may shoot a low score to me, I'll blow up.

 

Another problem I have is how I dwell on poorly played holes after the round and think "If I would have shot par or bogey on that Hole, I would have had a decent round...". It's that problem and the fact that I always start looking at the scorecard after Hole 15 or so to see where I am. If I could make myself just play golf and not worry about the scorecard until after the round, I think I would be much better off.

[alk3]

i shot 75 today having hit 10 greens. exactly what it says on that chart.

[rustyputterguy]

 

I agree that hitting greens is the most sure-fire way to shoot low scores, but it is not the only way. If you have a great short game around the greens you are just as likely to get it done.

 

 

I agree, but I think an aspect of this research you have to think about too is that the player who can go out and hit 8 or 9+ greens is also going hit the ball well enough to be around the green in decent shape for most of the other holes. That gives them a good chance to get their up and down. The player who only hits 2-3-4 greens in a round normally doesn't hit the ball consistently well enough to get in a position to get it up and down around a high percentage of the remaining greens. (With the possible exception of really good juniors and seniors, where distance and not accuracy is the thing keeping them from hitting more greens.)

 

Better ball striking = more GIR = better scores.

[abewley]

heck i have hit 12 fwy and shot 95. greens is how to get the green bills.

[rednumbers69]

in a resent tourney i hit 15 gir and shot 71...whats that say about my putting that day? lol

[300_yard_drives]

i think blowup holes are killer. I am a scratch and a round with only 1 double bogey is good for me. I make many birdies and many bogeys.

[MrParr1Noid]

Evidently none of you guys have learned the art of getting it up and down, aka scrambling. I was out the other day with a friend of mine, and in 9 holes he may have hit 2 greens but he still shot 39. In past years I've seen him shoot par and hit hardly anything but man can this guy scrape it around, and he can putt lights out also. (cool)

 

Do any of you guys ever wonder why guys like Tiger are so damn good at missing greens and still getting pars and the occasional bird? :golfer:

[crew_138]

Do any of you guys ever wonder why guys like Tiger are so damn good at missing greens and still getting pars and the occasional bird? :golfer:

 

I thought Tiger is usually numero uno in GIR's when he wins... He misses plenty of fairways but puts it on the green second shot... and we all know he well he can put.

[MrParr1Noid]

Do any of you guys ever wonder why guys like Tiger are so damn good at missing greens and still getting pars and the occasional bird? :golfer:

 

I thought Tiger is usually numero uno in GIR's when he wins... He misses plenty of fairways but puts it on the green second shot... and we all know he well he can put.

 

Ya, but you're missing the point, on those days when Tiger can't hit shiot, he still manages to put up decent numbers to keep him in the game. Putting up numbers even though you aren't shooting that well is an art, an art of pitching, chipping and putting. That is what I mean. (cool)

 

p.s. How to break 90-80-70, you scratch it out of the land, you dig for it, for work patiently for it, not greedy, and not deservingly, you earn it, and maybe, just maybe you'll get it. :D

[rustyputterguy]

Evidently none of you guys have learned the art of getting it up and down, aka scrambling. I was out the other day with a friend of mine, and in 9 holes he may have hit 2 greens but he still shot 39. In past years I've seen him shoot par and hit hardly anything but man can this guy scrape it around, and he can putt lights out also. (cool)

 

Do any of you guys ever wonder why guys like Tiger are so damn good at missing greens and still getting pars and the occasional bird? :golfer:

 

Maybe instead of looking at that chart as hard numbers we should look at it as if you're capable, given how you're hitting the ball that day, of hitting X number of greens (or being within 10 yards of it) you should score about Y. Everyone who is talking about scrambling and getting up and down being the key to a good score has to think about where you're scrambling from. Guys who hit 5 greens and get up and down 8-9 times are going to score better than the chart says, but they're probably doing it from just off the green. There aren't too many people who are going to consistantly get it up and down from say 20+ yards off the green. That distance from the green on my home course a lot of times would put you in water, woods or jail.

I once shot 34 and hit 2 greens. My seven up and downs were all from within 5 yards of the green. :D

[MrParr1Noid]

Evidently none of you guys have learned the art of getting it up and down, aka scrambling. I was out the other day with a friend of mine, and in 9 holes he may have hit 2 greens but he still shot 39. In past years I've seen him shoot par and hit hardly anything but man can this guy scrape it around, and he can putt lights out also. :D

 

Do any of you guys ever wonder why guys like Tiger are so damn good at missing greens and still getting pars and the occasional bird? (cool)

 

Maybe instead of looking at that chart as hard numbers we should look at it as if you're capable, given how you're hitting the ball that day, of hitting X number of greens (or being within 10 yards of it) you should score about Y. Everyone who is talking about scrambling and getting up and down being the key to a good score has to think about where you're scrambling from. Guys who hit 5 greens and get up and down 8-9 times are going to score better than the chart says, but they're probably doing it from just off the green. There aren't too many people who are going to consistantly get it up and down from say 20+ yards off the green. That distance from the green on my home course a lot of times would put you in water, woods or jail.

I once shot 34 and hit 2 greens. My seven up and downs were all from within 5 yards of the green. :cheesy:

 

I agree, you stated what I was trying to say better than I did. On the day when I score good, it's hard to determine exactly why I scored well, other than getting off the tee halfway decent and getting it close from somewhere close around the green and then making most of my putts.

 

p.s. Two years ago I watched my son in college hit 13 of 14 fairways and he also hit 17 of 18 greens, what a round that was...........He shot 79. :golfer:

[AUDuffer]

Evidently none of you guys have learned the art of getting it up and down, aka scrambling. I was out the other day with a friend of mine, and in 9 holes he may have hit 2 greens but he still shot 39. In past years I've seen him shoot par and hit hardly anything but man can this guy scrape it around, and he can putt lights out also. :D

 

Do any of you guys ever wonder why guys like Tiger are so damn good at missing greens and still getting pars and the occasional bird? (cool)

 

Maybe instead of looking at that chart as hard numbers we should look at it as if you're capable, given how you're hitting the ball that day, of hitting X number of greens (or being within 10 yards of it) you should score about Y. Everyone who is talking about scrambling and getting up and down being the key to a good score has to think about where you're scrambling from. Guys who hit 5 greens and get up and down 8-9 times are going to score better than the chart says, but they're probably doing it from just off the green. There aren't too many people who are going to consistantly get it up and down from say 20+ yards off the green. That distance from the green on my home course a lot of times would put you in water, woods or jail.

I once shot 34 and hit 2 greens. My seven up and downs were all from within 5 yards of the green. :cheesy:

 

I agree, you stated what I was trying to say better than I did. On the day when I score good, it's hard to determine exactly why I scored well, other than getting off the tee halfway decent and getting it close from somewhere close around the green and then making most of my putts.

 

p.s. Two years ago I watched my son in college hit 13 of 14 fairways and he also hit 17 of 18 greens, what a round that was...........He shot 79. :golfer:

You should be able to keep track by keeping all that info for each round--that should tell you what it is. I track quite a few things on my score card. The first slot is for score, second for fairways hit, third is GIR, fourth is # putts, and from there I'll track sand saves, penalties, and up and downs. All this goes onto into the tracker on TGC's website, but it allows me to see where my strengths/weaknesses were for that round.

[LouLogsdon]

its all in the flat-stick. My one and only sub-par round happened when I drained numerous lengthy par putts and 1 birdie putt.

[dornstar]

I think it's a good barometer. If you average around 13 greens, you should be around par on most days. That doesn't mean you can't have a 7 green 72. It's just less likely statistically to happen.

[pinhigh27]

[quote name='LouLogsdon' timestamp='1412999764' post='10269269']
its all in the flat-stick. My one and only sub-par round happened when I drained numerous lengthy par putts and 1 birdie putt.
[/quote]

That's you. If I hit 12 fairways it's pretty much impossible for me to not shoot something low. If you're having to drain lengthy par putts, that's a problem, and something that someone trying to break par shouldn't be faced with in a round.

Full disclosure I played in a tournament with a guy that shot 65 with 2 doubles, and he made a 20 footer on literally every hole. Like 16 of 18 holes for the day. That was a freak anomaly though.

[LouLogsdon]

[quote name='pinhigh27' timestamp='1413071156' post='10272137']
[quote name='LouLogsdon' timestamp='1412999764' post='10269269']
its all in the flat-stick. My one and only sub-par round happened when I drained numerous lengthy par putts and 1 birdie putt.
[/quote]

That's you. If I hit 12 fairways it's pretty much impossible for me to not shoot something low. If you're having to drain lengthy par putts, that's a problem, and something that someone trying to break par shouldn't be faced with in a round.

Full disclosure I played in a tournament with a guy that shot 65 with 2 doubles, and he made a 20 footer on literally every hole. Like 16 of 18 holes for the day. That was a freak anomaly though.
[/quote]Isn't EVERYONE trying to break par? Isn't that the goal of the game, to shoot as low as possible? Hence breaking par? Now if I said I constantly break par then I could somewhat agree that having lengthy par putts is something I "shouldn't be faced with in a round." And what good does 12 fairways do you if you cant putt? NONE. Also, a 20 footer on every hole, LITERALLY?? I don't think so.

[eightiron]

Lou , how did you manage to find a topic that's 8 plus years ago ?

[LouLogsdon]

[quote name='eightiron' timestamp='1413126605' post='10274169']Lou , how did you manage to find a topic that's 8 plus years ago ?[/quote]i was up late the other not and I just ended up here. I didn't realize how old it was LOL

[straightslice]

good find. 2006.

[ChipDriver]

I agree with the GIR theory.

However - I am fairly certain that the article assumes the correct set of tees are being played. For many/most amateurs who can't break 80 - I'll bet it's b/c they aren't playing the correct set of tees.

Got some advice a long time ago "play the closest set of tees until you break 80 - then move back." So I started at red tees - then played about 5 rounds before I broke 80, and then moved to whites. Played 6 times THEN REALIZED WHAT I NEEDED TO PRACTICE...played about another 5 times then broke 80 and moved back to blues. I'm at my limit but can break 80 at least 1/2 the time. My struggle is the "2nd shot" and my wedge play from 30-75 yards.

The best byproduct of going red/white then blue - is that it almost immediately clues you in to the weaknesses of your game.

[pinhigh27]

[quote name='LouLogsdon' timestamp='1413124581' post='10274081']
[quote name='pinhigh27' timestamp='1413071156' post='10272137']
[quote name='LouLogsdon' timestamp='1412999764' post='10269269']
its all in the flat-stick. My one and only sub-par round happened when I drained numerous lengthy par putts and 1 birdie putt.
[/quote]

That's you. If I hit 12 fairways it's pretty much impossible for me to not shoot something low. If you're having to drain lengthy par putts, that's a problem, and something that someone trying to break par shouldn't be faced with in a round.

Full disclosure I played in a tournament with a guy that shot 65 with 2 doubles, and he made a 20 footer on literally every hole. Like 16 of 18 holes for the day. That was a freak anomaly though.
[/quote]Isn't EVERYONE trying to break par? Isn't that the goal of the game, to shoot as low as possible? Hence breaking par? Now if I said I constantly break par then I could somewhat agree that having lengthy par putts is something I "shouldn't be faced with in a round." And what good does 12 fairways do you if you cant putt? NONE. Also, a 20 footer on every hole, LITERALLY?? I don't think so.
[/quote]

That's why I said it was a freak incident. I can link you to the tournament if you want.

This article is about what it takes to break 80 or 70, as in skill wise. Not a statistical anomaly where we're bouncing it off trees into the hole. That's the equivalent of draining long putts all day.

[LouLogsdon]

[quote name='pinhigh27' timestamp='1413164165' post='10276431']
[quote name='LouLogsdon' timestamp='1413124581' post='10274081']
[quote name='pinhigh27' timestamp='1413071156' post='10272137']
[quote name='LouLogsdon' timestamp='1412999764' post='10269269']
its all in the flat-stick. My one and only sub-par round happened when I drained numerous lengthy par putts and 1 birdie putt.
[/quote]

That's you. If I hit 12 fairways it's pretty much impossible for me to not shoot something low. If you're having to drain lengthy par putts, that's a problem, and something that someone trying to break par shouldn't be faced with in a round.

Full disclosure I played in a tournament with a guy that shot 65 with 2 doubles, and he made a 20 footer on literally every hole. Like 16 of 18 holes for the day. That was a freak anomaly though.
[/quote]Isn't EVERYONE trying to break par? Isn't that the goal of the game, to shoot as low as possible? Hence breaking par? Now if I said I constantly break par then I could somewhat agree that having lengthy par putts is something I "shouldn't be faced with in a round." And what good does 12 fairways do you if you cant putt? NONE. Also, a 20 footer on every hole, LITERALLY?? I don't think so.
[/quote]

That's why I said it was a freak incident. I can link you to the tournament if you want.

This article is about what it takes to break 80 or 70, as in skill wise. Not a statistical anomaly where we're bouncing it off trees into the hole. That's the equivalent of draining long putts all day.
[/quote]cool.